Dengue rears its ugly head in Capital yet again

The official data compiled by the three municipal corporations reveals that only two dengue cases were reported in the Capital in June.

But the unofficial number is higher. Seven cases of dengue have been reported from just four big private hospitals.

In June, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital reported four cases; one each was reported from Moolchand, Apollo Hospital and BLK Super Specialty Hospital.

In total, the official figures for the number of dengue cases till June 30 this year stands at nine. Comparatively, 2011 and 2012 saw only four cases till this time of the year.

Dengue usually picks up in July and peaks in October. So the number is expected to go up over the next four months. In 2012, 2,093 dengue cases were reported and 1,131 cases were reported in 2011.

Though Delhi has seen more dengue cases this year than the previous years, civic officials say it’s too early to predict how severe the outbreak will be this year.

“It’s too early to predict whether the numbers will go up this year. It all depends on the rain,” said Dr NK Yadav, municipal health officer, South Delhi Municipal Corporation.

“To prevent mosquitoes from breeding, we are organising awareness programmes across the city by asking people not to let rain water collect and keep changing water in their coolers regularly. Pamphlets are being distributed and public meetings being organised to create awareness,” he added.

Dr SP Byotra, chairman, department of medicine, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, said people should be careful about water collecting in water tanks and coolers.

“They should always keep these two things clean. Petrol or kerosene should be used to kill mosquito larvae if they start developing,” said Dr Byotra.

According to the official data, the city has already witnessed 28 malaria cases this year of which 11 were reported in June. Last year, 246 malaria cases were reported and in 2011, the number stood at 266.